International Journal of Noni Research - Noni Family

J. Subramani
S. Antony Selvaraj
D. Vijay
M. Sakthivel
Authors’ affiliation :
J. Subramani
S. Antony Selvaraj
D. Vijay
M. Sakthivel
Crop Research division of
WNRF, INRF, Chennai,
Tamilnadu, India - 600 119.
Correspondence to :
J. Subramani
S. Antony Selvaraj
D. Vijay
M. Sakthivel
M. Umashanthi
Crop Research division of
WNRF, INRF, Chennai,
Tamilnadu, India - 600 119.
santony@nonifamily.net
Micropropagation of
Morinda citrifolia L.
Keywords : Morinda sp, Nodal explant, multiple shoots, Rhizogenic calli
Abstract : The varying effect of Cytokinin and Auxin combinations on Morinda
citrifolia L. for effective in – vitro induction of shoots from nodal explants
was studied by using both WP and MS basal media. BAP alone with 2 mg/
l concentration was found effective in both the basal media, to initiate
auxillary shoot induction. Further BAP along with 1mg/l Kinetin combination
gave 4-5 multiple shoots from a single node within a period of two weeks.
Further by using leaf ex–plants, callus was induced. Actively growing yellowish
callus was induced by using 2 mg /l-2,4-D. Further the initiated calli were subcultured
in MS basal media containing 0.5 mg/l NAA to produce rhizogenic
calli with lots of roots at periphery. These calli mass with roots in BAP and
KN media combination, became organogenic and resulted in producing shoot (s).
Introduction
Morinda citrifolia L. commercially known as Noni, grows widely throughout
Asia and Pacific, is one of the most significant sources of traditional medicines
among Pacifiic Islands Societies. (Clatchey, 2002; Nelson, 2001). The botanical
name for the genus was derived from two Latin word Morus, mulberry and
indicus, Indian, in reference to the similarity of the fruit of Noni to that of true
mulberry (Morus alba), belongs to the family Rubiaceae (Morton, 1992).
Noni is relatively easy to propogate from seeds, stem or root cuttings and
air layering. The preferred methods of propagation are by seeds and by
cuttings made from stem verticals (Nelson, 2001). Till date, not much work
on in vitro propagation by using tissue culture techniques were carried out
in this plant. Preliminary studies on in vitro propagation of Morinda
citrifolia L. was attempted at this center for the past one year. Both the nodal
ex-plants and rhizogenic calli have given shoot(s) in both the WP and MS
media with the combination of Cytokinin and Auxin.
Materials and Methods
Plant Material
Seeds of Morinda citrifolia L. brought from the Western Ghats, India were
sown in the gardens of Health India Laboratories, Sholinganallur. Two leaf
Intl. J. Noni Res. 2007, 2(1-2) 38